Non-Registered Buyers Rule Pinjore Mandi
Small Farmers Get Raw Deal Under 'Arhtiya–Big Grower Nexus'
PINJORE: The Pinjore APMC mandi, once promised as a transparent hub, has slipped into the grip of non-registered buyers and commission agents.
It is no better than a 'predator zone' where a "big fish eats the small fish's share", all under the nexus.
Arhtiyas strike under-the-towel deals with those they find “genuine buyers", pleading that "they have to do it to give better prices to the farmers and save them from defaulters.”
Bigger growers get inflated prices, while small and marginal farmers are left with scraps.
Though farmers have multiple options as they can directly send fruit to Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Kolkata and other mandis, but the small farmers have little choice as they have to send the fruit to the nearby Mandis in Himachal or Pinjore as they produce less.
Open Auctions on Paper, Underhand Deals in Reality
Open bidding, meant to ensure fair play, is now a rare sight. Only one or two agents were seen auctioning openly, while most lots were settled quietly in closed deals.
"I do not know, but I am not in the habit of striking underhand deals, we auction the fruit openly to give fair prices to the the apple farmers", said Narendra Kumar, arhtiyas, who runs his VFC here.
The first consignments auctioned in the Mandi here are those from the big pet growers. Even if these arrive late, arhtiyas ensure these are disposed off on priority, rued the farmers.
Big orchard owners with bulk consignments fetch better rates simple because they- arhtiaus and growers- patronise each other.
Smaller farmers, even with superior fruit, mysteriously get less because he does not have number or quantity to his side and no god father.
“Even if my apples are crisp and crunchy, have better tang and shelf life, I get lower than a big orchard owner. It feels like punishment for being small,” said Suresh Kumar, a marginal grower from Chopal.
But the growers- big and small- are united in one voice: The arhtiyas should auction the fruit in transparent manner so that every body gets a level playing field and fair prices.
Himachal Loses, Haryana Gains
The irony is bitter. Himachal grows apples spanning worth ₹5,000 crore economy annually but has failed to build a national-level mandi. Haryana, which produces none, reaps the profits.
As a party of its market strategy, Haryana shifted the Apple Mandi from Panchkula to Pinjore near Himachal's Parwanoo apple Mandi to increase trade volume and they have succeeded in that. Even many traders from Parwanoo have shifted to Pinjor.
Pinjore alone handles nearly three lakh cartons daily during peak season, drawing traders who skip Himachal’s own mandis like Parala, Solan, Narkanda and Parwanoo.
Universal Carton Becomes a Joke
Himachal’s universal carton system—meant to standardize 20–23 kg boxes—has been openly flouted in Pinjor. Cartons are overstuffed with 25–28 kg.
Fruit is crushed, cartons collapse and farmers are being encouraged to pack six layers of small fruits, yet overpacking is rewarded.
Bigger farmers pocket ₹2,000–₹2,700 per box by overgrading. Small farmers lose out again. With no Bureau of Indian Standards for apple grading, the mess continues.
Fake Shine, Real Rot
The mandi thrives on “Jo dikhta hai, woh bikta hai.” Apples are coated with excessive sprays to look glossy, but lose their natural crunch, falvour, juice, shine. Consumer activists warn the shiny fruit is unsafe.
Not only this. there are no facilities for the farmers and drivers in the Apple mandi.
The truck drivers, the invisible backbone of the trade, are left without retiring rooms.
“We drive 11–15 hours nonstop, but APMC gives us no facilities here. We sleep in our trucks in sweltering heat before our trucks are unloaded,” said one driver.
Arhtiya Defence Rings Hollow
Pinjore Arhtiyas Association president Kawal Mahajan defended the practice, claiming they sometime have to resort to such auctions to protect farmers from unregistered buyers who often default.
But farmers call it a smokescreen. Big growers’ fruit is not even auctioned, and it appears the prices are fixed.
"Their fruit may be batter in many cases, but we feel small growers are sidelined here even if in many cases the fruit is of better quality and is standardised in universal carton", rued the farmers.
“Our sweat grows the apple, but someone else eats the cream. The system is rotten, and APMC looks the other way,” said, farmers.
Systemic Rot, Farmers’ Cry for Justice
From Solan to Rohru, the story repeats: weak enforcement, poor facilities, unchecked overstuffing, and farmers treated as second-class players in their own economy.
Experts say only strict grading as standardised by BIS norms, regulated cartons, and transparent auctions can fix the malaise.
Until Himachal builds its own strong national mandi and breaks the arhtiya–big farmer nexus, the apple trade will stay exploitative at the core.
Haryana will keep taking the profit. Himachal’s farmers will keep losing out.
#AppleEconomy #HimachalFarmers #PinjoreMandi #ArhtiyaNexus #FarmersJustice
